MarkDobson

the clay mixture looks like some sort of homemade anti scale compound, not 100% sure but he uses it the same way ive seen brownells anti scale compound used by some knife makers.

I think this is the best way to do it if you wanted to be honest and safe, plus if the guys at the maintenance yard know you forge stuff they might have other metal that you can have (at the yard or at home), you could end up with some pretty nice metal since most people dont know what they have and will gladly give you their "junk" to make the wife happy lol. but back on topic, some materials that i started with are rebar( i know some people frown on rebar but for practicing i have never had a problem with it), RR spikes, small axle shafts from a gokart,leaf springs, used mower blades, metal from home depot etc etc. if you ask around you can find almost anything. One thing you have to remember is that if you never ask the answer is always NO. you can always ask your mechanic if he will let you have springs,torsion bars and axle shafts or whatever else you could use off of a vehicle and you can always ask a scrap yard if they sell. calling up a steel yard is also a good place to get beginner materials, the owner or person in charge will always be glad to sell you drops.

just general hobby stuff at the moment(im still learning the basics and getting a feel for it), i also make or try to make tools or whatever we need if we dont have them.

ahhh, makes more sense now. and i like the offset idea too, hopefully once i get some free time i can try and make some hardy tools for it and get a stump cut

the edges actually look worse in the picture than they actually are. i dont plan making any adjustments to it, i was forging on it a bit tonight(still need to make a stand for it) and so far im very happy with it!

well i went to the steam show today in Seagertown and decided to make my way over to the flea market. To my surprise there was this nice hay budden farriers(?) anvil. i probably paid little to much for it but i still ended up at around $3 a pound including gas to drive down and paying to get in so i dont think i did too bad. has great rebound and ring, was told it weighed 145lbs but im not entirely sure since i havnt put it on a scale yet and its pretty hard to read the markings on it.

so i have no experience with any of this but would it be possible to make the ring out of one piece of meteorite and then do a wire inlay in gold where you wanted it to look like a seem? id think that would be easier than trying to fuse the gold and iron together.

its down by Pittsburgh actually, so it would be a bit of a drive to go take a look. i was more curious about it than anything, never seen one like it before, especially with that horn design.

I was on craigslist the other day and found this guy, was curious if anyone on here has seen anything quite like it. looks like the horn was added afterwards and the heel looks too short to bee original.

​the spikes i use are just old rusty ones i picked up from along the tracks a few years ago after they did some maintenance. found some of the old track anchors as well. Thanks for the comments guys, it means a lot. hopefully once it warms up a bit i can get back out to the forge and make some more stuff. got a billet i made from barbed wire that i can hopefully make a decent knife from as well.

hi guys, i figured while i was waiting for info on the anvil i am looking at i would post some of my first projects. The rr spike knife was my first actual attempt at a knife made from a spike and my second successful knife. i also tried my hand at some simple file work on this one. the knife with a wooden handle was made from a leaf spring i got off an old boat trailer, it has a hidden tang and a wooden handle made from a piece of walnut and i believe the lighter part of the handle is pine. both pieces of wood were left over from one of my dads projects.

well i finally got a response and the dimensions are 21.75in from the tip of the horn to the heel, it is 10.5in tall and the face is 14 inx5.5in. which leads to my next and hopefully final question, do anyone have a rough guess on what the anvil will weigh. Im only asking because it is going to be an hour+ drive and i dont want to get all the way down there to find out it isnt what i thought it would be.

Alright, i emailed him a little bit ago asking for the measurements and a picture of the other side of the anvil. Based on the fishing rod and the tape measure on the floor im guessing the anvil to be about 9-10 inches tall and 5-6 inches wide but hopefully i will have the exact measurements by tonight. Thanks for the help guys, i really appreciate it Mark ps. i had two more photos i couldn't attach the first time so here they are

Hi guys im rather new to blacksmithing and have been lurking on the forums for a while now trying to get ideas and learn the basics but i have a slight problem, im lacking a decent anvil. I have been using an old piece of steel (probably 30-40lbs) that i found in my grandparents old garage and while it has served me well i think its time for me to upgrade to something a bit bigger. I found this anvil on craigslist not to far from my house which i believe to be a mouse hole. He does not give a specific weight but he says it would need 2 people to move it. As far as i can see there are no markings on the anvil but the face and horn look decent. i did notice however that the tip of one of the feet was broken off. As for price he is asking $400 or best offer, seeing as i have seen this anvil floating around on craigslist for awhile im sure it could be had for cheaper. Im just not sure what a fair offer or what the value of this anvil would even be. Thanks in advance for any info and help!